6 Readers' Choice Award-Winning Beauty Brands Owned by People of Color
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Any time we get the opportunity to shout-out some of our favorite beauty brands by people of color, we will. Over the years, Allure readers have turned us editors on to new beauty companies that we should have on our radar — and for that, we're grateful. For this year's Allure Readers' Choice Awards, many of you also shared your favorite products from a few brands that are owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
Several of this year's winners are second- and even third-time seal recipients. And after hearing feedback from our diverse Allure Readers' Council and testing many of the products ourselves, we totally understand why.
Take, for example, Briogeo. The hair-care brand — which started with a few recipes that founder Nancy Twine's grandmother whipped up in her kitchen — has expanded into a full range of products packed with ingredients that work across a wide range of textures. The brand has won several Readers' Choice and Best of Beauty Awards in its seven-year history.
Laneige is another. The K-beauty brand, which launched in 1994, has managed to amass nearly three decades' worth of moisture-loving devotees — Allure editors included. The brand's Water Bank Hydro Essence was one of its first hero products to gave us a peek into the highly influential world of Korean skin care.
And on the topic of influence — we don't even need to dive into the disruptive charge Rihanna led when she launched Fenty Beauty a few years back. Brown-skin foundation seekers are eternally grateful.
We know that there are so many other great BIPOC brands worthy of all the accolades, and the hope is that as we find out about them, we can honor them in the same way we're doing these five.
For now, check out the BIPOC brands that scored Readers' Choice 2021 Awards, below.
Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo
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Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo
Briogeo not only boasts efficacious products that work on both curly and straight hair textures, but a part of the brand's ethos is having clean formulas, too. It's no wonder this dye-, silicone-, and sulfate-free hair cleanser just earned its second Readers' Choice win. What Briogeo's Be Gentle, Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo does include is potassium-enriched banana, which delivers antioxidant protection, and coconut, which is full of hydrating fatty acids and vitamin E. This shampoo is a dreamy start to your washday routine.
Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Conditioner
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Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Conditioner
Just like the shampoo, Briogeo's Be Gentle, Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Conditioner has the same antioxidant-rich banana and hydrating coconut. The creamy conditioning and detangling formula is also packed with moisturizing glycerin and additional antioxidants, including acai and mango.
Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara
3/6Honest Beauty
Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer
These days, there's certainly no shortage of celebrities starting beauty brands, but Jessica Alba's Honest Beauty, which launched as an extension of The Honest Company in 2014, was among the first. From its inception, the brand has focused on formulating without chemicals like phthalates, synthetic fragrances, and dyes.
As a result, Honest Beauty's Extreme Length Mascara has earned our Allure Clean seal this year. The lash-building primer is infused with hydrating glycerin to nourish lashes as it adds volume. Once you layer on the primer, flip the tube around and coat lashes with the rich, black mascara, which has the same conditioning ingredients within its pigmented waxes.
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Fenty Glow
4/6Fenty Beauty
Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer
What Rihanna's Fenty Beauty has done for the beauty world as a whole is unmatched. What's even more impressive is how good just about every product is. And as the offerings continue to expand (we're still awaiting details on Fenty Hair) we're sure fans will follow.
One of the brand's biggest hits is already a few years old but still a staple among makeup artists and editors — and add 2021 Readers' Choice Award winner to those accolades. It doesn't matter if your go-to is a lip gloss or a longer-wear lip shade — it's hard not to fall hard for Fenty Beauty's Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Fenty Glow. All six shade options that the non-sticky gloss comes in — including clear, a fiery red-orange, and this rosey nude — have a high-shine finish and can be worn solo or layered on top of another lip color.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
5/6Laneige
Lip Sleeping Mask
Laneige's Lip Sleeping Mask is inching closer and closer to icon status. The treatment is a year-round fan-favorite of both Allure editors and readers. If you have yet to try this blend of vitamin C and hyaluronic acid before bed, do yourself a favor and scoop up one of these balms, stat. You won't be disappointed.
Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Eye Masks
6/6Wander Beauty
Baggage Claim Eye Masks
Wander Beauty cofounder Divya Gugnani may stay behind the scenes for the most part, but the beauty entrepreneur certainly knows how to make a very visible, viral beauty product. Case in point: Wander's Baggage Claim Eye Masks. These treatment patches were made for that Zoom life. Now both a Readers' Choice and Best of Beauty winner, the multitasking patches — which are infused with calendula extract to depuff, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and camu extract to diminish dark circles — are an all-around fast fix for tired-looking eyes. Plus, the classic gold and rose gold colors that they come in are very photo-friendly.
